Happenings: Old theater hosts new music

Texas Music Theater opening March 9 in San Marcos

Texas Music Theater, the newest music venue in town, is set to open March 9 on the historic downtown square in San Marcos.

The refurbished theater will be one of the sites for the fourth annual MR Fest, a music festival sponsored by KTSW, the Texas State radio station.

The Texas Music Theater will host various MR Fest musical performances April 29-30, including the headlining band, The Bright Light Social Hour.

Built in 1941 as the Plaza Theater, the building has been used for a variety of purposes over the years, including a movie theater, seafood restaurant and most recently, a hamburger joint called Gordo’s.

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In an interview with the Austin American-Statesman, co-owner Allen Shy said he wants the Texas Music Theater to attain the status of New Braunfels’ historic Gruene Hall, which draws live music fans from Austin, San Antonio and throughout central Texas.

Shy said the capacity and technology of the Texas Music Theater makes it one of a kind, and its capacity of 1,000 makes it the largest music venue in San Marcos.

Digital sound systems, fiber optic cables, projection rooms and a “green screen” are just a few of the renovations, which have totaled to $2.3 million to date, Shy said.

“We built this place from the musician’s perspective,” co-owner Scott Gregson said in the Statesman article. “There’s not much like this around.”